Interview with Keith Ward

Recently, we had the opportunity to interview Keith Ward. We were invited to his home, where we got to experience firsthand the many wonderful results of Keith's work that he has done throughout the years.READ ARTICLE

Why I Love Sci-Fi!

I've always been interested in SF and space subjects - it was hard to avoid them in the early 1960's anyway, and I happened to like what I saw. I have vague memories of a show called SUPERCAR from the British producer Gerry Anderson (one of his efforts in SuperMarionation - puppets with electronically controlled eye and lip movements), but the first TV show I really watched was FIREBALL XL-5 (also from Anderson). Always wanted a model of that ship, but there have been no reliably available kits and I have yet to scratch build one.READ ARTICLE

The How-To Hootch: Scenery That Steals The Show

The kit I used at the demo is "The Subterrain Scenery Kit" part # S929. It contains all the stuff you need to complete the model you saw. All of the trees that were used on my model were from The Tree Lady Trees. They are some of the best-looking trees I've seen, and by far the best I ever modeled. You can check her out at the Wheaton Train Show every month, usually the second Sunday of the month. She gives little clinics there at the show...READ ARTICLE

Open up a funnel-shaped passageway into the highest point of the mold cavity, using a sharp blade to make the opening as large as practicable. You may also need to cut an air escape passageway for some cavities to fill completely ... Parting agent - baby powder works best for me. Use a soft brush to lightly coat everything inside the mold cavity, carefully blowing away any excess powder.READ ARTICLE

The How-To-Hootch: Ward's Workshp - RTV Molds & Casting Resin Parts

The How-To Hootch: Scratch built props

About 11 years ago, I decided to convert the ancient Testors Convair 440 into a turbo-prop Convair 580. This build required new engines and props, which led me into my first efforts at scratch building props as well as resin casting. After I developed some techniques, the task of scratch building props became less and less daunting. I also began to realize that my scratch built props were better looking than many of the 1/72nd and 1/144th kit props, and so I began building props for those kits as well. The process is a little tedious (especially for four engine aircraft), but if you give it a try, you may decide that the results are well worth the effort.READ ARTICLE

The How-To-Hootch: Display Stands Made Easy

About five years ago, as my display shelves were getting full of gear down aircraft, I realize that if I put some aircraft on stands, I could almost double the number of models I had in each case. I remembered the neat Revell stands--a clear base disc with a clear support--so I started looking at the McMaster-Carr supply catalog for possible materials. I wanted a stand that was easy to make and inconspicuous. Here's what I came up with:READ ARTICLE

Critical Analysis: American Armor - "The Patton Tank"

Let's talk about armor--American armor. All American armor is named after famous generals, such as Stuart, Lee, Sherman, Pershing, Chaffee, Sheridan, Abrams, and Walker. These generals' names cover a single series of armor.READ ARTICLE

28th Annual Contest-Special Awards

Our entry count was nearly 100 exhibits greater than the average of the last 10 years. Five local clubs plus our members put up displays of at least another hundred more models not in direct competition-and they were just as interesting and well done as the competition exhibits. The number of new entrant-faces and the very high quality of the competition is a reflection of the level of interest this event receives. We had modelers from Michigan, Missouri, Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin join us.READ ARTICLE

29th Annual IPMS Butch O’Hare Open Model Contest 2011

Modeling in Germany

As many of you know, I spend a lot of time in Germany. I'm a member of the Augsburg Plastic Modelers Club and get a chance to attend one of the premier model shows each March. The show is held at the Schleissheim Aviation Museum facility. The facility is the German version of our Air Force Museum in Dayton.READ ARTICLE